Construction projects across the Caldwell County School system are picking up steam as school board members and other officials continue to seek input from the community.

During last wek's Board of Education meeting, members of the Board of Education Facilities Committee and the William Lenoir Middle School Taskforce Committee discussed their meetings and the needs of the school system, including the addition of a new middle school in the Hibriten district. Board members Tim Hawkins and Chris Becker said both committees continue to make progress and are excited about what lies ahead.

"I feel like we made real progress as a group in stating our case about the need of a new middle school," Hawkins said. "We also discussed our plans to seek community input in this decision."

Becker said plans are under way to place signs at the corner of Wilkesboro Boulevard and Taylorsville Road to signify the future home of a new middle school. He also said there will be three public forums in November to educate the community about the possible new school. A poster-sized copy of the architectural renderings is available at the Education Center and will be present the night of the meetings.

The public forums are scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. and will last approximately one hour. They are scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 10, at William Lenoir Middle School; Thursday, Nov. 19, in the Hibriten High School media center; and Tuesday, Nov. 24, also in the Hibriten High School media center. Community members will have the opportunity to address any questions or concerns they may have during this time.

Amy Green, a mother and volunteer at William Lenoir Middle School, said she appreciates the board for all its enthusiasm about seeing this project become a reality. She gave the board several items to keep in mind as it continues to move forward, including full disclosure of possible hurdles it is facing and to make necessary preparations in advance so that deadlines are not missed.

"My objective tonight is to request that the board consider the following items as it moves to realize the goal of an improved facility - and thereby, an enhanced education for the students of William Lenoir," Green said. "I encourage you to invite county commissioners to participate in these forums and to communicate openly and transparently to the community as a whole."

Meanwhile, Assistant Superintendent for Auxiliary Services Jeff Church said progress is being made on expansions at Hudson and Sawmills elementary schools. Board members formally awarded Moss Marlow Building the contract to complete the additions at both schools. He also said he continues to research the possibility of a zero-percent loan, but notified school board members that the Caldwell County Board of Commissioners approved a loan up to 5 percent.

In other news:

* Board members adopted the 2009-2010 budget resolution as presented by Finance Officer Karla Miller. The budget, which totals $116,388,269, includes the state public school fund, current expense fund, federal grants fund, capital outlay fund, child nutrition and the WrapAround Child Care Enterprise Fund.

* Community members will have 30 days to make any comments concerning a revised copy of Policy 1350, School Board Member Ethics. The board has updated the policy in accordance with the newly passed Local Government Ethics Act. The proposed additions include: The need to obey all applicable laws regarding official actions taken as a board member; the need to uphold the integrity and independence of the board member's office; the need to avoid impropriety in the exercise of the board member's official duties; the need to faithfully perform the duties of office; and the need to conduct the affairs of the board in an open and public manner, including complying with all applicable laws governing open meetings and public records.

The revised policy also states that local board members are required to receive two hours of ethics education within the first year they are on the board, as well as each year the remain on the board. This is in addition to the 12 hours of training board members already complete.

A full copy of the policy is available at the Caldwell County Schools Web site, and the board plans to take action during the Nov. 9 board meeting.

* Associate Superintendent for Human Resource Services Trish Johnson updated board members about changes in the new teacher mentoring program. In the past, Johnson said new teachers were paired with other veteran teachers as their mentors. Many teachers said it was difficult for the teams to get together because of scheduling conflicts and the demands associated with managing a classroom every day.

This year, however, Johnson said 11 mentors have been hired to work with about 10 teachers each. The mentors are available throughout the day to visit classrooms and provide effective support to new teachers, Johnson said. She said she hopes these changes will provide positive results.

"We conducted a pilot study last year where we employed several retired administrators to mentor about five or six teachers," Johnson said. "We received a lot of feedback from the study from teachers who said the flexibility of their mentors was very beneficial. Hopefully this change will give our new teachers the support they need to succeed."